I think I saw a post a week or so back saying that social media has decreased attention and concentration span. I use social media more than I should- my situation is such that I can rarely contact my friends these days otherwise- and was thinking that I'm affected as much as everyone else. That might not be entirely true.
I personally love fantasy, and right now the Big Name is of course Brandon Sanderson. Well, the more he puts out, the less I'm liking what he writes. Even worse- I'm a fan of Tolkien, Robert Jordan, and all the old classics. Sanderson has said he's made a deliberate choice to depart from their style of writing, even though he's in the same genre. And it's showing- I'm currently reading The Lost Metal… and it's a slog in the beginning. I'm going to ultimately push through though.
And I understand that this is what's being pushed at a publishing level- these "branded for adults but written in YA style" books, courtesy of things like Booktok (note that I could be completely wrong on this). So maybe this is the current trend?
Al this to say… because of the TV show, I decided to start reading James Clavell's Shogun. I didn't realize that it had originally been published in 1975- well before several of my favorite series. Of course, I'm always fascinated by Japanese history,and I'm well aware that Shogun is historical fiction. Anyways… I'm finding myself DEVOURING this book. It's written in the old style that I grew up on, and I absolutely love it.
This kinda makes me sad- I want to look forward to new books being published, but it looks like the market for the foreseeable future is going to be putting out stuff that I can't get into. I suppose it's time to look into the old books again- probably lots of hidden gems I haven't found yet.
by the_card_guy
7 Comments
I thought I was the only one. Most popular fiction has become borderline unreadable.
As a fellow picky reader, I can relate to the struggle. It’s hard to find a book you love, but when you love it you love it a lot.
I find I don’t read many new releases as it’s better to wait a few years and see what actually ends up standing out
Same problem; the only new fantasy series i’ve found i actually liked were from Naomi novik (although mostly for spinning silver and Temerarie) and Marie Brenner’s Memoirs of Lady Trent was just choice
But i find myself countlessly and unerringly swinging back to older classics like anne mccaffery, heinlin (i know sci fi but i loved time enough for love) and Mercedes Lackey has gotta be one of the last ones still producing and at same quality.
I feel this really deeply to be honest.
Maybe you’re just ready to branch out from popular fiction? I’d suggest trying the thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet next, or Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy.
If you want to stick with fantasy, N. K. Jemisen and China Mieville are great!
I agree a 100% I used to rely on booktok and booktube to get recommendations to “ get out of the reading slump”. I’m into thrillers and non fiction. I soon realized that most of the recommendations or books that are currently popular are so poorly written that you can’t get through the first few pages itself. The fact that most people hype them up makes me question the kinds of books that we’re truly missing out on.
Here’s a tip though – go to chatgpt and mention the few books that you have liked and ask for similar recommendations taking into account the storyline and writing style. The recommendations are pretty good. You can always read the synopsis on Goodreads after that to see if it’s something you really wanna read. I’ve had a better luck finding books than social media.
I mostly go by word of mouth on books so my focus isn’t exactly on newer or older books. I find this works out pretty well as both types have their advantages and disadvantages.
Granted I am still finding my footing in what I like and dislike but I would be interested in a couple years revisiting my reading log and seeing where I tend to lean.